I just did it last week-end. The mount as shipped doesn't quite fit but Peter Caras who makes the mount was very helpful on the phone.

I got some pictures I'll try to post when I've figured how.

In the mean time, here is what I learned:
. First of all, once installed it works like a dream. I use a Minn Kota 30 and it moves the boat nicely.
. You definitely want to get a light engine with a short shaft (again the Minn Kota Endura 30 works great - you won't win speed records, but that's what the sails are for...)
. The bottom bracket needs to be positioned slightly off center so that the main block plate doesn't interfere. I elected to keep the engine as centered as I could to keep the thrust even.
. While the instructions go on and on about positionning the mount while the boat is in the water to make sure there is the appropriate distance between the mount and the water, the reality is that because of the dimensions of the bottom braket there is very little possible variations in position. I say, save yourself the time and simply position the bottom bracket with the aft edge about 11/16" from the aft edge of the crossbar. The key thing is to position it as far aft as possible while aking sure that the crossbar groove doesn't interfere with the hole for the rivet. I measured the groove from the opening down to the furthest reaches at about 1", so the hole for the rivet must clear this by at least 1/8" to allow for the expansion of the rivet's head.
. Once the bottom bracket is positioned, clamp it using large lumber clamps, and drill the 1/4" holes as vertical as possible.
. The upper backing brackets shipped with the unit I received were much too long to fit, and the holes in it didn't align. I contacted Peter for instructions, and he indicated that he found the same problem when doing an install on a Getaway. He recommended cutting the forward ends to bring the holes in line with the bolts from the bottom bracket. After much alignements, measurements and sightings, I ended up cutting almost half of the upper brackets. I assume Peter will have new casting made for future units.
. Once the holes are all drilled and everything lines up, make sure you have a can of Lanocote on hand to coat the bolts and rivets so that you prevent corrosion between the stainless hardware and the aluminum of the crossbar. I used to get Lanocote at West Marine years ago, but they don't seem to carry it anymore (do people really mount their SS hardware on their aluminum masts without isolaion?). Anyhow, Boaters' Word carries it and gets my business from now on!
. Don't tighten the bolts too much as they on't really carry much weight, and all you'd do would be to compress the crossbar.
. The rivets are stainless and can't be installed using the cheaper rivet guns. You'll have to get a decent tool for this.

Now for the motor and battery:
. My first thought was to put the battery in one of the "coolers". However, this would require amost 12' of wiring between the motor and the battery. The cable of the Minn Kota 30 is about 6" long. I spent a few hours at various marine stores evaluating the options (6 gauge wiring, connectors, quick connects for the battery, etc.), but there was no perfect solution.
. I wanted a small and light battery as I only plan to use the motor to get out of marinas or reach shore when the wind dies. I found some small Excide deep cycle batteries but couldn't determine their Ah rating (the paucity of info is incredible!). I finally settled on West Marine's AGM deep cycle 32 (I like the AGM no spill technology, and the 32Ah weighs only 25lbs).
. The connectors on this battery are nuts and bolts, and therefore I couldn't use Minn Kota's quick release battery connectors. I sure wish I didn't have to carry a couple of wrenches just to remove the battery!
. The battery would fit in the Getaway's cooler, but only sideways, using a lot of space. And then I still would have to add an extension to the built-in cable. I therefore decide to keep it simple and mount a small battery box immediately forward of the starboard wing support. The stock engine cables just reach, and I secure the battery box both with a strap passing though loops bolted to the hull, and with an extra strap going around the wing support.

Next project:
. Mounting a small battery monitor (Innova or Roadpro, see Practical Sailor July 2006 issue) in the battery box cover so that I can easily monitor the charge and not drain the battery too low.

I have looked at those pictures and that is not how mine looks. My brackets are mounted on either side of the padeye on the rear cross bar. They do not appear to be cut. The mount is right in the center of the crossbar. I did not install it, it came on the boat. The brackets in the picture appear upside down from mine. On my boat, the bevelled edge of the bracket is on the bottom. The top edge comes right to the edge of the traveler track, so the traveler can still slide by it. I had nothing to do with it - and it works perfectly - I'm sure thats not a coincidence.

There are many free website that offer photo sharing - just google for "free photo sharing" but most require that you register with them. If you wish, you can email me the pictures (my forum user id @hotmail.com) and I will upload them on one of my servers.

Here you go folks: http://www.eventid.info/cheata_mount.htm - pictures of David's (Drgatsea) Cheata mount as well as the ones from Xavier (along with their commens). I've also added some information about Cheata that I found on this forum. If anyone has more information I can update the page.

_________________Adrian
EYC, Toronto

Last edited by agrigorof on Fri Jun 30, 2006 3:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.

First, thanks to Adrian for putting all this infomation and these pictures together in one place. Job well done!

As I look at the brackets on Xavier's boat, they seem to be the exact same size as the ones on my boat. It looks like the brackets could have been placed just off the traveler track. I don't know how that would effect the placement of the actual mount under the crossbar, and how that jibes with the installation instructions. And again, I did not install mine.

All I really know is that my brackets look the same, they are placed just off the track and the motor is in the water when it is lowered and out of the water when it is raised.

Thanks Adrian for the much better posting of the pictures. Comparing them makes things so much clearer!

Now that I see drgatsea's pictures, I can see that I could have saved myself some grief, but I was trying to be too perfectionist!

The bottom bracket 'can' be centered as shown on his boat but they overlap the main block plate. I wasn't quite sure of what this would do with the mix of metals (SS and Aluminum) so I decided to go slightly off center.

For the upper brackets, if you look closely at drgatsea's pictures, you can see that the bolts' heads don't rest flat on the aluminum bracket. I suspect that the person who installed this had to re-drill the holes in these brackets as the angle of the original holes are about 30 degrees off from the bolts. Both installations are fine, but Peter agreed that the brackets were not quite the right fit, and I suspect that future versions will have an alignment better suited to the Getaway.

Anyhow, I now have a Minn-Kota 30 and and small 32Ah AGM battery installed, giving about 1/2 hour of motor time to get out of crowded ramps or back to shore when the wind won't even push a Getaway!

This is a general message to with questions about the Cheata Outboard Motor Bracket for Getaway and all small catamarans. My name is Peter Carras the designer and owner of the company. If you have any questions, I will be happy to help in any way. Please contact me at REBrokrFL@aol.com and if necessay I will also give you my cell phone if we need to talk in more detail. I also have a mini web site: www.cheatabrackets.com

I just got a Hobie Getaway with the Cheata mount and Torqeedo 1003. I sail it on Lake Michigan, and I find I have to turn the motor sideways to clear the tiller bar when the mount is in the UP position.But the motor doesn’t sit very high; so when the lake is even a little rough, the skeg and prop keep hitting the water and getting lifted up, and dropped back down. I’m afraid this is going to damage something from the constant pounding.Have you heard of anyone else having this problem? If so, did you find a solution?Thanks,Bob Peterson

_________________Yet another Bob!

Last edited by dorienc on Sun Aug 19, 2012 9:36 am, edited 1 time in total.